Whippen, Sondberg Hit Clutch Late Baskets to Help Men's Basketball Defeat WU

WHEELING, W. Va. – Junior Chase Whippen enjoyed a breakout game and tied a 20-year standing program record in leading the Men's Basketball team to a 91-86 road win over Wheeling Saturday afternoon.
 
Whippen got the scoring started with a layup in the paint, but three straight Cardinal baskets gave the hosts an early four-point lead. Senior Koby Baptiste and graduate Eric Sondberg quickly turned things around, both hitting treys for a 9-6 advantage. WU took control back after a pair of Bobcat misses and a turnover, gathering nine straight points to reestablish their lead.
 
Senior JayShaun Freeman ended the run with a mid-range jumper, then Baptiste got to the line and freshman Trey Simmons went coast-to-coast for a bucket and a 15-15 tie. The sides traded scores back-and-forth, with Freeman finding his range on a pair of threes, as a couple at the charity stripe from redshirt senior Naphtali Regilus put Frostburg ahead 26-22. After a quick Wheeling lay-in, the Bobcats ramped up their defensive pressure, forcing turnovers on three consecutive possessions and leading to a pair of triples from redshirt junior Justin Roseme, increasing the advantage up to eight.
 
WU didn't back down, as they twice fought their way back to within five and getting to the line on a number of occasions. Freeman gave FSU some momentum back with a dish to Sondberg for three, with the latter then swiping another steal and making it back-to-back for a 44-33 lead. The Cardinals continued to try and work their way back into the game, but Whippen made his presence felt on the offensive glass, getting a pair of tip-in makes to maintain a double-digit lead. Freeman had Frostburg's final bucket of the half to move ahead by 12, but a late and-one allowed Wheeling to cut the deficit to 51-42 at the break.
 
Coming out of the half, Whippen scored the first six Bobcat points, but was matched score-for-score by the hosts, while Baptiste got a quick steal and slam before the Cardinals returned the favor, cutting the score to 59-53. Roseme and Baptiste each came up trumps on the defensive end with a pair of swats, with the former also driving the lane to score. WU continued to cut away at the lead, using an and-one, layup, and three to suddenly get within two five and a half minutes in.
 
Baptiste provided the only field goals for FSU over a seven-minute stretch, but couldn't keep Frostburg in the lead, as Wheeling stormed back with a 15-7 run giving them a shock 76-70 lead with seven minutes to go. Sondberg cleaned up a miss on the offensive end and took advantage of a Cardinal turnover by getting to the line, going two-for-two before Whippen got another second-chance basket to tie things up. After a tough WU drive to the rim, Baptiste hit a cold pull-up triple, but a pair of Cardinal free throws kept them with a one-point advantage.
 
Now inside the final five minutes, Whippen took over the offense, twice being found by Baptiste and junior Jaden Baker to allow FSU to re-take the lead. Baker then had one of the plays of the game following another Wheeling trip to the line, working into the lane and firing a pass to Sondberg who caught and fired from distance to go up by four. A missed layup from WU then resulted in a great slip screen from Whippen, who was found wide open under the basket by Freeman to lead 88-82.
 
A costly turnover and score allowed the Cardinals to stay in the game with just over a minute to go, then a shot clock violation gave Wheeling a chance to stay in the game. Jaylon Jackson drove to the hoop but couldn't finish, then as Sondberg grabbed the rebound and passed to Freeman, he got trapped looking for a steal, but he was able to launch the ball ahead to a free Whippen, putting the game on ice 90-84 with 20 seconds left.
 
The Cardinals made a late long jumper to try and give themselves a chance, but Baker was able to split a trip to the line late on to end things 91-86.
 
Whippen poured in a career-high 22 points, tying a program record on shooting 11-of-11 from the field, just the second player in school history to make 100% of his shots with at least 10 attempts. Baptiste wasn't far behind with 21, piling up the box score with eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and four steals. Sondberg (17) and Freeman (10) each also reached double figures, while Baker made his impact on a team-high nine rebounds and five assists.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 6-8 overall, while Wheeling drops to 6-8. The Bobcats remain on the road to face Salem (WV) on Wednesday, January 15 at 7:30 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.